Local FFA advisors pleased with the decision
Local FFA officials are pleased that the U.S. Department of Labor decided to drop proposed regulations that would have prohibited minors from performing several farming tasks.
“I’m definitely glad they threw out the proposed regulations because it’s really going to make it easier for us to continue to have success with our (Supervised Agricultural Experience) programs,” said Madera South High School FFA adviser Kristin Avinelis. “It’s important that our students learn true-to-life lessons and get actual hands-on experiences that can’t be replicated through books and in the classroom.”
Last year the Labor Department asked for feedback from the public about a set of regulations that would limit minors’ use of power-driven equipment and chemicals and their interaction with some animals and farm-product raw materials.
FFA advisers feared that the labor restrictions would be a huge setback for school agricultural programs and a waste of ag program funding because students wouldn’t get hands-on work experience...